Career Services Internship Opportunities

FALL INTERNSHIPS 2014 DEFENDING ASIAN AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS

Description: Supervision: Interns are supervised by attorneys through regular meetings and trainings.
Compensation: These internships are not paid positions, but academic credit, college work-study, or a clinical placement can be arranged.
Hours: Interns work anywhere between 12 to 25 hours per week in the office.
Duration: The internship usually follows the semester, commencing with the start of classes (or end of August/beginning of September) and goes to the first or second week of December.
Voting Rights Interns work on the following:
Election monitoring to ensure that Asian Americans are treated fairly at the polls and to document violations of the Voting Rights Act and the federal Constitution. The Voting Rights Act mandates the availability of Chinese, Korean, and Bengali language assistance and forbids anti-Asian voter discrimination.Work with pro bono lawyers at corporate law firms and volunteer law students to inspect poll sites for compliance with the Voting Rights Act and the Help America Vote Act. Coordinate a survey of Asian American voters to document the use of bilingual ballots and report on Asian American voting patterns. The survey will be taken at several poll sites across the nation. Interns will recruit, train, and supervise volunteers, as well as coordinate logistics at three dozen polling locations.Register new voters after citizenship swearing-in ceremonies.Conduct research and advocacy on local, state, and federal election reform proposals.

Salary

Unknown

Type of Opportunity

Part Time, Full Time

Location

New York, NY

Degree Wanted

Any

Field of Study

Any, Criminal Justice, Liberal Arts & Sciences

Special Skills & Requirements

Company Name

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

Contact:

Address:

99 Hudson Street, 12th floor New York, NY 10013-2815

Email:

gmagpantay@aaldef.org

Phone:

fax: 212-966-4303

Website:

About the Company:

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, advocacy, and community education. Fall internships are available for college, graduate, and law students in AALDEF’s Voting Rights Program.
In prior elections, Asian Americans faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote. For example, poll workers were hostile and made racist remarks, poll sites had too few interpreters to assist Asian American voters, translated voting materials were missing or hidden from voters, and ballots were mistranslated listing Democratic candidates as Republicans, and vice versa. Then, when the news media reported on election returns and the vote by specific groups, Asian Americans were overlooked. AALDEF’s Voting Rights Program aims to enhance the political participation of Asian Americans and guard against anti-Asian voter discrimination.